This website is designed to gather all relevant information and resources related to online course and program development ranging from faculty training, developing online courses/programs, curriculum approval process, and WSCUC standards.
Department Retreats
The Provost’s Office will support each department in holding a faculty retreat to assess the pedagogical appropriateness of face-to-face, hybrid, and online modalities for the department’s course offerings. The academic department has an opportunity to reflect on which courses (and programs) are most effectively offered face-to-face, hybrid, or online. The department will complete a course mode matrix in which each course is assessed for appropriate modalities. For those courses in which hybrid and/or online are determined to be appropriate modalities, the department will note whether curriculum approval for those modes has been obtained, or plan to submit via curriculog for approval. The department will also record which faculty have successfully completed previous training and developed online courses --and then plan for future development of identified courses. Though the OCDP is not designed for hybrid courses, Colleges may explore other ways to support hybrid course development as well.
Faculty from participating departments will attend one of the in-person information sessions offered this Spring 2023. These sessions will be held virtually from 9 am-12 pm. Your Associate Dean can provide your department faculty with the zoom link.
- February 17
- March 17
- April 14
The preparatory session will cover the following topics:
- Assessing appropriate course modality for courses (CETL)
- Online program development opportunities (PaGE)
- Curriculum approval processes and timelines for hybrid/online courses (UGS)
- Using tools and data to assess equity data in course outcomes (IE, College equity coordinators)
Following this information session, departments will choose one of several Fridays during the semester to schedule department retreats to discuss and complete the course mode matrix.
Curriculog
Curriculog is a system for submitting, reviewing, and approving curricular proposals. It is not a course or program development tool. Curriculog is not a good place to build new courses or programs from scratch, especially when significant input is sought from other members of the department or campus community. Before beginning the proposal in Curriculog, the following should have been completed or near completion:
- Relevant Course proposals (modification or new)
- Curriculum Mapping
- Assessment Matrix
- Road Maps (two- and four-year for undergrad, one- or two-year for grad)
- Department-level discussions and informal consultation.
Please visit the Undergraduate Studies page on Resources for Graduate and Undergraduate Curriculum for information on the curriculum calendar, approval process, and timelines.
Note: CETL offers self-paced online workshops for departments on creating measurable student learning outcomes. Please contact CETL if you wish to take advantage of this support.
CETL's Online Course Development Program
The Online Course Development Program (OCDP) supports the development of fully online, Quality Matters peer-reviewed courses. Creating a fully online course is a complex and time-intensive project, but one that can yield many benefits for an academic department and its students. Determining which courses in a program should be taught online, hybrid, or face-to-face (F2F) takes consideration and planning. Please refer to the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning (CETL) Planning Worksheet for variables that can affect the decision to offer a course (or program) online.
College Deans shall nominate courses that have an approved course modification to the program. Deans shall also name faculty associated with the courses to be designed, including secondary designers if a team approach is desired.
The University is offering three flexible options instructors can choose from; however, the College should be consulted as to which option it supports. Deans shall ask their faculty to select one of the following options:
- Option 1: CETL’s Online Course Development Program + QM Preparatory Review
- Option 2: Quality Matters Improving Your Online Course (IYOC) workshop + QM Preparatory Review
- Option 3: Direct to Quality Matters Preparatory Review
For more information about the Online Course Development program, please visit CETL’s Online Course Development Program page for further details.
All options in OCDP require the designed course to pass QM preparatory review. Once the full course has been built in Canvas, the course is submitted for QM preparatory review. A QM-trained master peer reviewer who is a subject matter expert in the course or discipline will review your course, apply QM standards, and provide feedback and recommendations on how well the course meets QM rubric standards. If the course does not initially pass QM preparatory review, the instructor may make modifications based on reviewer feedback to meet QM standards. Please review the QM Preparatory Review Timeline for more information.
Faculty who will teach, but not design, an online course should be encouraged to participate in CETL’s Teaching with Technology Pathway, part of the T.E.A.C.H program.
From developing an online course to receiving approval, the process takes approximately fourteen weeks. The QM Prep Review Timeline illustrates the steps.
WSCUC Distance Education Program
As Departments begin to consider a long-term transition to or an introduction to distance education, WSCUC offers this summary. WSCUC, based on new federal guidelines for distance education, requires approval of all programs where 50% or more of the required courses are approved for online modality, regardless of when or if online courses are offered. As long as they are approved as a modality, they are considered part of the 50% or more benchmark for requiring approval from WSCUC. To offer a program meeting this threshold on a permanent basis, approval through the WSCUC Substantive Change procedures must be obtained.
WSCUC provided clarification regarding the differences between temporary remote instruction, for which WSCUC is providing an attestation process to allow pandemic-driven continuation of remote instruction, and fully authorized, ongoing distance education programs for which institutions need to go through the regular Substantive Change review process at WSCUC.
Remote instruction is considered a temporary teaching modality that has been adapted to meet the emergency needs of the institution due to the COVID-19 pandemic or another unexpected situation. While remote instruction is occurring, institutions are expected to continue to meet accreditation standards by adopting practices designed to ensure equitable student access and support, achievement of learning objectives, and pedagogical support for faculty.
For additional information, please reach out to the Office of Graduate Studies at 323-343-3820 or contact Karin Elliott Brown, Associate Vice President and Dean.
College of Professional and Global Education (PaGE)
The College of Professional and Global Education (PaGE) is the university’s continuing education, self-support college that provides affordable, practical and lifelong educational pathways, preparing individuals and organizations of diverse backgrounds and interests to serve and succeed in their local and global communities. PaGE and its partners offer degree, certificate, and non-credit programs on the main and Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) campuses. A majority of PaGE students are non-traditional adult learners who work full-time but seek to advance their careers through the flexible, high-quality educational programs PaGE offers throughout the year. Distance education (fully online) degree and certificate programs are particularly attractive to current and prospective PaGE students and thus, are in high-demand
For faculty considering developing a distance education program through PaGE (beyond those offered on the stateside), the initial step is to consult first with your department chair and college dean.
- When considering developing courses or other educational offerings through PaGE, recognize first your home college goals and objectives so they are aligned.
- The development and scheduling of online courses and other related faculty work must be based on student, program, and institutional needs.
- Although there are opportunities to teach or develop new programs in PaGE, these must first be discussed with and approved by your department chair and College dean. Coordination between Faculty, PaGE, and your home college is essential.
- If your department chair and college dean approve your request to develop a new program with PaGE, then you may contact the Dean of PaGE, Dr. Harkmore Lee, at (323) 343-4907 or by email to schedule an initial consultation.
- For more information about the College of PaGE and its programs, please visit the PaGE website.